CHAPTER 4

Frodo awoke to the sound of curtains being drawn. "Good morning, Mr Frodo." Rosie's light voice drifted through his awakening haze and he answered automatically.

"Good morning, Rosie. What time is it?"

"It's ten o'clock, Sir. The doctor said to let you sleep in this morning."

Memory surfaced again and Frodo opened his eyes. Rosie was busy collecting cushions from the fireside chairs. When she returned to the bed her face was set calm but he sensed something else seething just below the surface.

"Let's slip these extra cushions behind you so that you can sit up and eat your breakfast." Surprisingly strong, she helped him sit and held him whilst she arranged the cushions to support him. When she had settled him to her satisfaction she set a tray on his lap. Frodo stared at the small bowl of porridge and cup of tea set out for him.

"I'm not very hungry," came his mournful comment.

That was the trigger. Rosie's face changed and the lass drew herself up to her full height.

"Now you listen to me, Frodo Baggins. I've had enough of this. Have you any idea what you're doing to me and, more importantly, to my man?" Her eyes blazed fury but she kept her voice low so that it would not carry beyond the room. Frodo swallowed, trying to construct an answer, but he was not given time to speak as rage swept Rosie on.

"Sam and I watch you, day after day, fading away before our eyes and you won't let us help. You're too proud to ask and you throw any offer of help right back in our faces." Again, he tried to deflect her ire but she waved him down.

"And Sam? Poor faithful, loving, Sam? He cried for full on five hours when I came to fetch him to see to you the other night. He's a part of you, see. You grew so close on that horrible journey that you became one person. Whatever you do to yourself you do to him too. Can you imagine how this is tearing him apart? He sees you falling away from us and a bit of him falls with you.

You are so dear to him that he cannot bear to let you go alone, just as he could not bear to see you go alone to Mordor. And, yet, another part of him sees what he's got in me and Elanor and he knows it wouldn't be right to let us go and follow you in to madness."

Once she had got rid of the bulk of her well rehearsed tirade, she softened. "That is where you're headed you know, madness."

Rosie sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand. "Please don't take my sweet Sam there. He doesn't deserve that. Goodness knows, you don't deserve it either but it seems you're bent on taking that path. Please don't drag my Sam with you. If you'd died the other night he wouldn't have been far behind you. The grief would have done it. He would have lost half of himself, you see? And you know, it's a very beautiful half of him." She stared deep into Frodo's eyes, her own brown ones brimming with unshed tears.

"It's the part that cares so much about the people around him that it's willing to give up its own happiness for their sake. It's the part that loves them so much that it doesn't even want to burden them with the knowledge of the debt that they owe. It's the part that feels no bitterness, only sorrow, for the ones that tried to hurt it. Don't tear that part away from him because he will bleed to death."

Frodo pushed aside the tray and leaned forward, using all of his small reserves of strength to pull Rosie into his arms. She could feel hot tears landing on her shoulder and drew him close. For a while they just clung together, Frodo's nightshirt gathering up Rosie's tears.

"Oh, Rosie. I'm so sorry."

She ran a hand soothingly up and down his back. "I'll forgive you, if you promise never to try that again." She felt him sigh but there was no promise. Rosie drew back and Frodo's arms dropped to the coverlet as he sank back amongst the pillows once more.

"Frodo?" Rosie held her breath, willing him to answer, and to answer with the words she wanted. But life was not that simple.